Tractor dirt handling attachment



July 21, 1953 1.. T. M GEE TRACTOR DIRT HANDLING ATTACHMENT 5Sheets-Sneet 1 Filed June 16, 1947 mromvzx July 21, 1953 L. T. M GEE2,645,866

TRACTOR DIRT HANDLING ATTACHMENT Filed June 16, 1947 3 Sheets-Sneet 2 J5J5 "I J6 Iil 56 4/6 43- I 4/ 42 6/ J8 J8 1 J? J7 July 21, 1953 T. M GEE2,645,856

TRACTOR DIRT HANDLING ATTACHMENT Filed June 16, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1NVEA/ m2,

4' I ,3 40 Le/arza 7.771120 HTTO/EWEX Patented July 21, i953 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 1 V 4 2,645,866 g 1 TRACTOR DIRT HANDLINGATTACHMENT Leland T. McGee, Los Angeles, Calif. Application June 16,1947, Serial No. 754,807 3 Claims. (01. 37 1 44)' My invention relatesto tractor dirt handling attachments, and more particularly to improvedmechanism for attachingdirt handling tools, or members to a tractor, tobe operated thereby, and to be controlled therefrom. One type of dirthandling tool for which my invention is designed is referred to as abulldozer, although it would be effective in supporting and handlingother f moved thereby and operated or controlled therefrom to provide asimple, practical and successful valve mechanism which can be connectedinto a flow pipe of the tractor and usedfor operating the tool ormachine to be attached thereto from the regular hydraulic power meansthereof; to Provide an attachment mechanism for tractors and by means ofwhich a tool, or other attachment can be connected with the tractor andoperated therefrom by a simple one way application of the hydraulicpower thereto, said tool or other mechanism returning to its down ornormal position bygravity. I

In order to explain my invention more in detail, I have shown on theaccompanying three sheets of drawings, a tractor-with a bulldozerattached to and operated thereby, and embodying my invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tractor, showing a bulldozer attachedtothe front end thereof and in operating position in full lines and inraised or inoperative position in light broken lines; I

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view taken on the section line 22 of Fig. 1,with parts omitted for clearness;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the same line but looking in theopposite direction, as indicated by the arrows;

Figure 4 is a detail, in section, on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing gone ofthe main attaching castings; I

Figure 5 is a detail, partly in section, taken on the line 55, of Fig.1; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view at the control of the tractor, showing howmy adaptor valve is connected into the regular hydraulic system of thetractor.

indicated in Fig. 6.

Referring indetail to the drawings, I have shown in outline the generalbody of a tractor designated B, with the usual steering wheel S, frontwheels W, W, rear wheelsRw, Rw, hydraulic control lever L, movable fromforward, or operating position 0, to middle, or neutral position N, orto bleeder or inoperative position B, in the usual and well knownmanner.

On the tractor is an operating lever I0, hy-- draulically operated forthe purpose of lifting or moving implements or other mechanisms in therearof the tractor and which may be attached thereto, in a manner wellknown. This lever is pivoted at H and its lower end I2 is pivotallyconnected with a piston rod [3, from a piston M, in a cylinder [5, theinner end of which is connected by a port IS, with a chamber l I, whichis, in turn connected with a pipe I8, connected with a three-way valvel9, having an operating lever 20, connected with a pull rod 2|, and ahandle 22, at the top of the tractor, .as

A pipe 18' from said threeway valve I9 connects with -a chamber 23 inthe bottom of the body, from which extends pipe 24, connected atits'upper end with anothervalve mechanism for controllingg and directingoil flow, said mechanism being designated, as a whole, 25, and includesa cylinder 26,-

with piston 21 moving therein, and having a piston rod 28 connected witha lever 29, on shaft 30, and operated by the control lever L, beforereferred to.

The cylinder body 25 has the port a I, fed from the pipe 24, and has theinlet port 32 in its bot-. tom, connected with a pump 33, connectingsaid valve mechanism 25 with the oil chamber of the body B.

The valve member 21, in said cylinder 26, has a port 34 therethrough,and an angle port 35 connected therewith and extended out through theside of said valve, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

-When said valve member 21 is in the position shown, the operating leverL is in neutral position, and oil from pump 33 through pipe 33'communicates with the angle port 35 and out through port 34 into the oilchamber from which it was pumped. 'The oil in pipe 24, chamber 23 andpipes l8 and I8 through the three-way valve l8, chamber I1 and cylinder[5 is locked and all parts are held in their stopped position, and saidlifting lever I0 is held in its raised position, as indicated.

If the operating lever L were pulled back to the bleeder or inoperativeposition B, the valve member 21 would be moved inwardly in the cylinder26, and then the oil from pipe 24 and port 3| would simply flow out ofthe end of the cylinder 26 and into the oil chamber, and the oil fromthe cylinder l5, chamber I! would flow through the pipe III-l8 and tochamber 23 and out through pipe 24. In other words, all the oil is freeto flow back into the oil chamber, assuming, of course, that thethree-way valve I9 is turned to connect the pipes l8|8.

In the conventional tractor, pipes l8 and [8' are one straight pipe,without the three-way valve I9 therein.

Applicant, in order to adapt the hydraulic mechanism of the tractor foruse in operating his bulldozer mechanism, to be described, has insertedthe three-way valve IS: in said pipes |8|8', and has provided the supplypipe 36, which is to be connected with the cylinder which operates hisbulldozer, again referred to.

Referring to Fig. 5, said three-way valve is shown in horizontalsection, and said pipe 35 is shown to be an elbow or angle pipe andextended through an opening made in the case inspection cover 31, with agrommet 38 in the opening, as seen in Fig. 5, and said angle pipe 36 isconnected with an elbow 39 and to the pipe or tube 43, which carries thehydraulic fiuid or oil to the operating cylinder, designated 4|, andseen in Fig. l. Said tube is connected by suitable coupling, as at 40',with said elbow 39.

Thus by operation of the three-way valve I9 to the position shown infull lines in Fig. 6 hydraulic fluid from the pump 33 can be pumpedthrough pipe 36 and through the tube 40. to the cylinder 4|. Thisassumes, of course, that the control lever L has been movedforward tothe operating position 0, and valve member 21 has been pulled back toregister the port 34 with the ports 3| and 32, when said fluid is pumpedthrough pipe 24, chamber 23, pipe [8 and through the valve l9 to pipe36, and thence to the operating cylinder, to force its cylinder orplunger 42 outwardly, in a manner understood.

I will now describe my dirt handling attachment mechanism, using a formof bulldozer as the particular attachment used for this purpose.

Referring first to Fig. 2, I have shown the front end of the tractor, insection and with parts omitted for clearness. The main axle of thetractor is a three piece member, including the middle section 43, havingbolted thereto, at each end, end members, as 44, 44, which carry thefront wheels in the manner indicated and which is no part of thisinvention. The middle section 43 of said axle is provided with holes43', 43, for adjustment purposes to shorten the axle by moving the endmembers 44, 44, inwardly, and securing them with the bolts 45.

The long arm members 46 are a part of the conventional tractor, and havea ball and socket connection, as at 41, with a U-shaped end 48, to

fit over the axle end members 44, 44, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. It willbe understood that there is one of these arms on each side of thetractor. The part 49, at the ball and socket member 41, is a foot rest.

Applicant provides two special connecting and supporting arms ormembers, as 50, seen in section in Fig. 4, and seen in place in Fig. 1.The side wheels, front and back are removed from this view to give cleardisclosure of the parts involved. The small end of said arms 50 are heldby means of a U-shaped bolt to the small end of the member 46, as seenin Fig. 1. This connection permits of limited play or looseness, asrequired. The large end of said arm or '4 member 50, has an attachingplate portion 52, from which is an angle portion 52', with the necessarybolt holes as 50', and with a bearing, as 53 in its lower end or corner,as indicated.

This connecting and supporting arm or member, at each side of thetractor front, as indicated, constitutes the supporting means from whichthe bulldozer member or pusher 54 is pivotally supported for raising andlowering. Upper arms, as 55, 55, are pivotally connected to the back ofsaid member 54, as at 56, 56, and tothe member 52, as at 51, 51. Lowerarms, as 58, 58, are pivotally connected to the back of the member 54,as at 59, 59, and to the member 50 by means of a shaft 60, in thebearings 53, 53 in said side members 50, 50, as seen in Fig. 2.

The cylinders 4|, 4|, are pivotally connected with said shaft 60, as at4|, 4|, and have their pistons or plungers 42, 42, connected to the backof said bulldozer member 54, as at 6 I, 6 between the upper arms 55, andthe lower arms 58, as indicated in Fig. 3, where said arms andconnections are shown in a sectional view taken on the line 33, of Fig.1.

By reason of these various arms, pivotally supporting the bulldozer, itwill be seen by the light broken line position how it can be raised whenhydraulic fluid is forced into the cylinders 4|, 4| at opposite sides ofthe tractor, and it will be understood that when the control lever L ismoved to the neutral position, as seen in full lines, that the fluid islocked and the bulldozer is held in this position. When said controllever is moved to the bleeding or inoperative position B said bulldozerwill settle by its own weight and force the oil or fluid back to the oilchamber through tube 40, pipe 36, three-way valve H, to chamber 23 andthence through pipe 24 to the open end of the cylinder 26, as beforedescribed, when the valve member 21 is moved inwardly to the right inFig. 6.

The lower end of the angle plate 52, extended from the plate 52, servesas an upper stop for the lower arm 58, which supports the bulldozer 54,as will be clear from the dotted line position seen in Fig. 1. It willbe understood, of course, that there is one of these arms or members 5|!at each side of the tractor, as before explained.

I have shown on the accompanying drawings a preferred form of means forattaching and operating a bulldozer, or any other kind of implementwhich can be attached to and operated from a tractor, but intend thatany kind of suitable head or attaching member having the pivot bearingsrequired for such attachment shall be included as a part of myinvention, for there are many implements or tools which are operated bybeing pushed and raised and lowered which can be connected with andoperated in the same manner, and I do not, therefore, limit my inventionto the specific use, or to the specific details of construction andarrangement shown for explanatory purposes, except as I may be limitedby the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a tractor having hydraulic power means as a partthereof, and having a front axle member with front wheels carried at theopposite ends thereof, and a bulldozer member in front of said tractorto be raised and lowered, of two connecting and supporting arms at theopposite outer ends of said axle member, and extended rearwardly alongthe opposite sides of said tractor body, each of said arms having at itsforward end an attaching plate portion having upper and lower pivotconnections, two pairs of upper and lower short arms pivotally connectedto the back of said bulldozer member at their forward ends, one abovethe other and toward the opposite ends of said bulldozer member, andpivotally connected at their rearward ends to said upper and lower pivotconnections on the forward end of each of said attaching plate portions,and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected at its rearward end withits pivot axis in alinement with the axis of said lower pivot connectionon said attaching plate portion and having an 2 operating plungertherein with its outer end pivotally connected with the back of saidbulldozer member between the connections of each pair of short arms,whereby thrust pressure from said plunger on said bulldozer causes it tobe raised.

2. A mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which the two connecting andsupporting arms at the opposite ends of the axle member have theirrearward ends connected so as to permit slight 6 up and down movement aspressure is applied to their front ends.

3. A mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which the attaching plateportions of the connecting and supporting arms each has an angle portionto serve as a stop for the lower short arm at each side.

LELAND T. McGEE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName I Date 2,001,803 Stephens May 21, 1935 2,121,960 Frink June 28,1938 2,133,549 Le Bleu Oct. 18, 1938 2,228,490 Smith Jan. 14, 19412,348,899 Giugnard et al May 16, 1944 2,391,224 Carter Dec. 18, 19452,404,759 Washbond July 23, 1946 2,446,136 Jarmin July 27, 19482,559,816 Alexander July 10, 1951

